Just recently, Virgin Atlantic announced plans to fly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the time, I predicted that there was a bit more to this story, and that’s quickly turning out to be the case…
Continue reading: Virgin Atlantic & Riyadh Air Launch Partnership
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I doubt that Riyadh Air will be unable to resist the temptation of developing Riyadh into a transit hub once its network reaches a certain critical mass.........
Beyond the route network growth goals and/or turning Riyadh into a transit hub, I'm curious/not optimistic about the combining of the vastly different cultures of the two countries and, by extension, the airlines. Virgin Atlantic is known for being incredibly liberal with their employee policies. The KSA is very much the opposite of nearly everything Western that Virgin Atlantic represents. This could be awkward for KSA pax moving to a Virgin Atlantic flight at LHR that has a crew and ideals that are not aligned to KSA's "morals". And we know that Islam - like many/most organized religions - is not particularly tolerant.
Weird how these woke libtards want travelers to put up with 'western' DEI crew with mental disorders.
Just more marketing gimmicks like the delta one.
Riyadh Air is probably paying for leased Heathrow slows and just not mentioning it here
The most hillarious thing.. go watch Virgins TV adverts, then compare and contrast to Saudi.
Virgin will lay on a flight anywhere so long as someones paying them. Has it been established how much theyre getting for putting on the accra flight yet?
If British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and others, can fly into Saudi Arabia, and Saudi passengers on those airlines survived, I think those flying on Virgin Atlantic will be ok.
Airlines partner with each other all the time.
Codesharing is an intrinsical part of the industry.
Nothing special by an airline that just happens to be owned by Delta Airlines
It's just not a very exciting partnership when one airline hasn't even launched.
It’s very strange that this article does not mention Saudia even once, given that this is Virgin Atlantic’s SkyTeam partner (on paper at least) and that SV was explicitly mentioned in VS’ press release on the RUH launch. Yet there is not the slightest reference to SV wherever RX is mentioned here.
I mean, of course you’re free to hook up with the biggest direct competitor of your alliance partner — ask QF, which has no love lost for QR — but for even Ben to miss out on the implications of VS being in the same alliance as SV but partnering with RX (because DL said so) strikes me as very weird.
as much as some will resist hearing it, DL has built the largest equity partnership relationship in the world and, of course, they have influence over VS. Richard Branson finally came to the conclusion that VS' model of being a point to point longhaul international carrier would not work esp. when competing at the same airport as BA.
Riyadh Air is looking to build strong relationships at the front end, in contrast to the big 3 Middle East airlines which all were formed and grew and then started thinking about extensive relationships.
As one of the most successful airlines in the world, Riyadh Air recognizes that DL can bring alot to it - which is why their relationship goes beyond route and loyalty partnerships. VS has access to the UK and a LHR-RUH flight costs a whole lot less to operate than a flight from the US - although DL might announce a RUH flight as part of its 2025 route expansion.
Riyadh Air will be limited in its access to slots to major airports and so it makes sense to build partnerships that will help build the airline on both sides of routes instead of just from the Middle East as the big 3 have done.
and it is possible that Riyadh Air could pick up the lease indirectly or directly for VS' 787s, the value of which is going up because of Boeing's production and delivery delays. United, desperate to get more airplanes, could also be angling for VS' 787 fleet; since UA has already crossed the bridge of having aircraft that are powered by engines which DL is the US MRO provider might consider getting more capacity more important than worrying about who will get the MRO revenue either directly or indirectly.
Those “DEI crew with mental disorders” will sure have fun at Cafe Sociale and beast house
Stay pressed MAGAT.
Possibly the dumbest take ever expressed on this blog and there have been many.
Ben and others have discussed it and the clear intention of the Saudis is to "see" Riyadh and Saudia in very different lights.
it is far from clear how this will all evolve but SV is not a major player in SkyTeam - at least in the part that DL "controls" or cares about right now.
What I will find most interesting is the very obvious brand difference in Virgin and Riyadh Air and how this will be managed.
Of course anyone flying to Saudi Arabia knows the deal. But maybe not so much Joe Bloggs that books a flight on expedia from London to Bangkok via RUH with two VS codeshares.
Virgin is known for being socially progressive and 'out there' and Saudi Arabia is know for being well...neither of those things.
As it stands, Riyadh Air will not be able to serve alcohol (unless the law in Saudi changes) and will likely heavily censor the IFE. When I flew Saudia (who were very good tbf) even in SITCOMS like 'Friends' they had the cleavage of the females blurred out. It was an experience!
Realistically, Saudi Arabia's laws are not really any more harsh than say Qatar or the UAE but socially, they are definitely more conservative.
Dude, you really need to turn off the cable news, and get out there.
Just so ya know, Grindr and Tinder work just fine in KSA, and have a lot of use.... they're not all goat herders pretending that it's still 1200BC.
"Virgin will lay on a flight anywhere so long as someones paying them."
You think that's unique to Virgin, or something?
@Tim Dunn,
Whilst I agree with a lot of the reasons you advance for the agreement between the two carriers - commonplace with new, unestablished airlines and a reasonably resourced experienced one - I DO have some reservations regarding the following sentence:
"As one of the most successful airlines in the world, Riyadh Air recognizes that DL can bring alot to it - which is why their relationship goes beyond route and loyalty partnerships."
Can you explain how an airline which hasn't flown a single revenue carrying passenger flight (and is far away from a 2025 launch) qualifies as "one of the most successful airlines in the world" ? By what metrics does this astounding sentiment arise?
>developing Riyadh into a transit hub
But for who? There are already 3 ME3 carriers and I suspect there isn't space for another
From my viewpoint, which is one who spent 5 years in KSA (The "SH" S@#$ Hole as we called it) commuting back and forth, RA is just another MBS "Wet Dream", like everything else they are spending money on in Saudi now to attract tourists!! My bet is it won't ever fully happen.... Kinda like "The Line", the 170km new city near NEOM on the Red Sea that was scaled back to about 3km +/- and where they laid off so many professionals and trade workers because they said it would be delayed a bit..... YAH RIGHT! Google it and see what you find!!? They are spending money like water, to build Ultra Expensive Resorts on the Red Sea, in hopes to get the Uber Rich to come and frolic there....... It's just all Crazy talk because MBS was convinced by multiple slick talking Management Consultants, that "If you build it, they will come."
Riyadh Air, might be successful, but in reality, there are so many other options to fly to RUH or KSA in general, that they will have to do things extraordinarily different than others including alcohol or be much cheaper to lure customers to them!! Only time will tell......
One thing is for sure, I won't be choosing them for a flight once operational.
Could it be SV and RX (Riyadh Air) stand at the same alliance? Since they have kinda different market and business model later, and also SV would give RUH hub to RX, as it would much focused on JED